As we celebrate Independence Day here in the US, I wonder when the Black community is going to learn the true meaning of this day when it comes to politics.

Independence Day, or Fourth of July, is about freedom to think, be, imagine and to live. In the U.S., July 4, 1776 was the day we celebrate our freedom from Great Britain. Even though the adoption of the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 2, 1776, it is celebrated on the 4th.

Our desire to separate from Great Britain wasn’t just about a geographical break; it was about the mental, as well. So, we took the best from the Brits and mixed it with our own ways to come up with what we now call America.

Sending the Declaration of Independence to King George III was an act of final defiance by America. George and Great Britain finally recognized America with the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783.

Former President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, thus freeing Blacks from slavery. In many ways, Blacks were more free then, than we are now. Blacks back then, had a sense of family, owned their own businesses, and fought for full rights in society.

Blacks back then never fought for “equality” because no one can make you equal; they, instead, fought for equal opportunity! Their attitude was, just remove all the artificial barriers and we can make it on our own.

Today, we allow Republicans to ignore us and the Democrats to only give us lip service. We have become so obsessed with symbolism that no one feels the need to do anything of any substance for our community.

We, as Blacks, have achieved equal rights, but not equal opportunity. So, by helping to put a Black in the White House, we thought we would finally get equal opportunity. Wrong!

We have a President that has more than gone out of his way, as a calculated political strategy, to ignore the very people who gave him the largest share of their vote (96%). He has consciously showered upon illegals and homosexuals the spoils of victory at the expense of Blacks. And what do we do? We say give him four more years. Go figure!

So, on this Independence Day, please, Black people, try to free your mind from the tyranny that is the Democratic Party and Barack Obama.

Sometimes, you have to lose in order to win. Sometimes you have to allow your opponents to win to force your party not take you for granted.

Britain was not happy that America freed itself from the monarchy. As a matter of fact, we fought several wars with Britain over this very matter. But, as a result of this sometimes deadly give and take, our two countries have become very close indeed; so much so that we have what is called a “special relationship.”

Just think, where would we be if we were only content to have independence from Britain? We not only wanted our freedom, but we wanted to establish a more fair and equitable trade policy with Britain; we wanted to pursue our own geo-political interests throughout the world; and we wanted to have our own currency—in other words, a total break from Britain.

Where our interests merged, we worked together; when they differed, we pursued our own course.

We, as Blacks, need to immulate this model. If the White House wants to address the high unemployment rate in the Black community, we should work with them. When they try to inject 1 million illegals into the work force, they should be opposed. When Obama tell Blacks to “stop complaining,” while catering to homosexuals and illegals, we should oppose him.

Independence Day is about celebrating the freedom obtained through opposing those who are not furthering our own interests. So, on this Independence Day, I challenge Blacks to stand against Obama’s political strategy that says ignore and marginalize us. Blacks should have the guts enough to protest, like the homosexuals and illegals did.

Obama rightly calculates that Blacks will only complain and then go out to vote for him without him having to give us anything by way of policy. Slavery is not just physical, but also mental. We have been freed physically and legally, but functionally, we are still enslaved to the Democratic Party.

Only when we realize that the power of the vote is the true key to independence, will we be willing to vocally confront Obama’s insidious political strategy towards Blacks.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm. His website is: www.raynardjackson.com. Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC is a internationally recognized political consulting, government affairs, and PR firm based in Washington, DC. Jackson is a internationally recognized radio talk show host and TV commentator. He has coined the phrase “straticist.” As a straticist, he has merged strategic planning with public relations. Call RJA to discuss how they can get you to the next level of your career.

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